...and we're off!

taking a year of pretirement to travel the world

on may 23, 2013, we quit our jobs and began our year of "pretirement." these are some of our adventures around the world.

Filtering by Author: Carla Ballecer

hvar and a balkan road trip

from split we took the ferry to the island of hvar. it was a friday afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly as we pulled into the harbor. our airbnb host alessandro picked us up and drove us up the hill to our apartment. usually it goes for around $200 a night during the summer, but we got it for a steal at $35 because it was low season. as soon as we walked through the door, we immediately decided to book a second night. the place was huuuge! the main balony spanned both the living room and bedroom and offered a fantastic view of the bay. the shower even had those awesome jets that massage your whole body! we were really looking forward to hanging out in hvar for the weekend. that evening we took one of the many narrow, winding staircases up the hill and made it to the castle just in time to watch the sunset. then we wandered around town, hoping to find a fun bar to check out. normally the town is packed with ridiculously attractive people dancing and drinking the night away at one of the myriad clubs and bars along the harbor, but hvar's split personality was showing its quiet side this friday night.

the next day it was too cold and drizzly to go boating, so we rented a scooter instead and decided to explore the island’s less-frequented parts. i'd never ridden one before, so trying it out on a rainy day over mountainous terrain was quite a memorable first experience. we took the old road from hvar to stari grad and enjoyed the incredible sea views as we climbed steadily to some of the highest points on the island. we passed through the old stone village of brusje and marveled at the many criss-crossing stone terraces that dotted the lavender fields on the way to stari grad. after heading up for awhile we eventually had to get down, and that ended up being an exhilarating and slightly terrifying ride. there were a few unprotected drops as we slowly made our way down the steep, sloping sides of the island, and the cold rain whipping our faces didn't help. when we finally reached stari grad, we warmed up with some tea and a nice, cozy lunch. our day of exploring ended with a delicious seafood dinner at a restaurant our friend recommended to us. ever the gracious host, alessandro saw us walking down the street and offered to drive us there. turns out he was friends with the chef, and soon we were taking silly photos and taking shots of a mystery liquor!

we took the ferry back to split the next morning and decided to spend the next 36 hours driving down the coast. our rental car turned out to be tiny stick-shift van. our first stop was the port town of omis, which was recommended to us by the front desk girl at our hostel in zagreb. situated at the point where the cetina river meets the adriatic sea, omis’ towering cliffs and gorgeous canyon make it perfect for adventure-seekers. had the weather been warmer, i would’ve tried to make alex go white-water rafting with me. after a quick coffee we continued our drive, admiring the changing coastline. we even passed through bosnia for five minutes, although the next day would be our chance to experience more of it. we arrived in dubrovnik at dusk and checked into our surprisingly spacious bed-and-breakfast run by a sweet old woman. alex had never been before, so we wandered around the old town and marveled at how well-preserved the fortress walls were. it was fun getting lost in the hidden passageways away from the crowded main streets. there are some amazing little apartments there that we’d love to rent someday!

monday morning was an early one, since we had a full day ahead of us. our plan was to take the coastal road to montenegro, cross into bosnia via the mountains, then take the highway back to split and return the car in time to catch the overnight ferry to ancona, italy. it was a bit ambitious, but since we were in the car by 8am, time was (seemingly) on our side. after a couple of hours we crossed the border into montenegro – a country i can honestly say i never thought i’d visit, but am very glad i did. it was a drizzly day, which didn’t make for the best road conditions but did give the gulf of kotor an eerily calm ambience. the old city of kotor is one of the best preserved medieval towns in the adriatic, and its beautiful venetian architecture is just one of the reasons why it’s a UNESCO world heritage site. ironically, we ended up in a cuban-inspired café full of young, hipster locals. from there we headed towards bosnia, leaving the pretty coastline for the rugged black mountains from which montenegro gets its name. very quickly we ascended the mountains and were treated to a spectacular view of the gulf. it was a thrill being in a place that suddenly felt very deserted and far from civilization. some of the leaves had started to turn shades of red and yellow, which stood out against the gray skies and otherwise dark forest.

we eventually reached the bosnian border, where we were held up for a good twenty minutes. the car in front of us was searched very thoroughly by the police as the two passengers stood around waiting. we tried to make out why, but the license plate didn’t tell us where the men were from. we decided they must either be serbian or have some sort of record, or both. the animosity between the various countries still seemed very palpable. in that moment, we felt lucky to be carrying US passports. once that ordeal was over with, we drove to trebinje and stopped for lunch. the town itself was very quiet and seemed a bit dismal, but the restaurant we ate at was busy, and our waiter was friendly and eager to practice his english on us. after our meal, it was back on the road and time to speed towards split. throughout our drive to the croatian border there were several bombed or burned-out buildings and shells of homes and offices that once stood there – a sad reminder of the brutal war in the early nineties.

by the time 6:30pm rolled around, we had just crossed back into croatia. it was dark, we were still in the mountains, and the major highway we were relying on was nowhere to be found yet. with our car due back at 8pm, we were getting a bit nervous. thankfully the roads weren't too bad and there weren't any cops, because as soon as we found the freeway, alex gunned it for a good chunk of the way back. our little minivan was doing 90mph on the newly opened highway, darting past what few lost souls were also on the road. miraculously, we made it back to split with just enough time to drop off the car and board our ferry. we were italy-bound!

// eurotrip to date: 11 flights, 5 buses, 5 trains, 3 ferries, 3 road trips, 11 countries

cappadocia and dalyan

despite our best intentions, we wound up staying out late our last night in istanbul, which made our 5am wakeup call even more brutal. it was time to head west to the region of cappadocia. alex, sandy, and i groggily set off for taksim square to catch the bus to the airport. we flew to kayseri and decided to rent a car since the roads in the area are easy to navigate. the stop signs are pretty great, too. 

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from kayseri it was an hour-and-a-half to goreme, a small town at the heart of the region. as we got closer and the terrain started to change, we marveled at how uniquely alien-like the rock formations were. millions of years of erosion had whittled the soft rock into "fairy chimneys", and the result was unlike anything we'd ever seen.

after a few wrong turns and some crafty maneuvering up a steep, narrow road, we finally made it to our hotel. for about $90 between the three of us, we found ourselves in an awesome junior suite built into the rock. we were going to be staying in a cozy cave for the next two nights! excited but exhausted, we walked down to town and had a leisurely meal, then promptly went back to our little rock house to catch a few zzz's. we woke up just in time for a free hike around rose valley. our hotel-host-turned-fearless-guide ali set a very brisk pace as he gave us a tour of the old churches and pigeon houses carved into the rock so many centuries ago. we eventually made it to the top of a large rock just in time to watch the sun set over goreme's craggy skyline. we of course came prepared with two bottles of local wine stuffed in our backpack! the other hikers were very pleased with our resourcefulness. that night we ate at topdeck restaurant, which, contrary to its name, is actually carved into the rock. the owners were friendly, chatty, and eager to please. we also made fast friends with thomas, a former priest who was staying at our hotel and happened to be dining at the same time. we waved him over and enjoyed great conversation over a delicious meal and superb cappadocian wine.

the next morning sandy and i got up a little before 5am (for the second day in a row!) to check out the region via hot air balloon. it was the morning of alex's birthday, so part of my gift to him was making it back in one piece! there we were, looking out from a giant basket in the sky with 92 other balloons and floating over these fantastic rock formations during sunrise. at one point the sun was high enough where the balloons were casting shadows all over the rock faces. that was one of my favorite moments. over the course of an hour, we floated 13.5km and at one point climbed to a height of 690m. it was an unforgettable morning.

the rest of the day was spent exploring the open air museum, a world heritage site and cluster of churches and monasteries that date back to as early as the 10th century. these unlikely chapels and homes were dug into the rock by persecuted christians. the frescoes painted on the ceilings of the rock churches were especially stunning; since little sunlight got in, the art was well-preserved and in pristine condition. after lunch, we drove to uchisar castle and climbed to the top, the call to prayer echoing across the valley. when we got back, we surprised alex with a gourmet birthday cake courtesy of the hotel. it was perfect. we took him out to a really nice dinner at seten restaurant to celebrate, and had the best wine on the menu to boot! the meal ended with an invitation from our waiter to go out with him and his friends in town. it made for a memorable birthday night complete with drinks, backgammon (my new game obsession since we couldn't bring catan with us), and a midnight drive to a lookout point near love valley, where we blasted music from the car and danced around in the moonlight.

the next day we said goodbye to sandy and so long to the wonderful staff of divan cave house. we did a very brief tour of the underground city in kaymakli (it's 8 floors deep!) before getting creeped out and driving back to kayseri. that night we caught a 14-hour overnight bus to dalyan on the southern coast - which, for $35, was quite fancy and comfortable. once again, we were blown away by the natural beauty surrounding us when we arrived. dalyan is a small fishing town that sits on the dalyan river. a short boat ride away sits iztuzu beach, home to the many loggerhead sea turtles who lay their eggs there. it's a nice 50-min walk from one end to the other; the beach is a beautiful boomerang-shaped stretch of soft sand surrounded by mountains. we spent 3 1/2 days in dalyan relaxing by the pool, beach, and riverside. if you go, stay at the BC spa hotel. the wood and stone architecture is simple yet stunning, and the picture-perfect amenities make it a great place to relax. we also stumbled upon a hidden hookah garden which quickly became our favorite night spot. the owner was kind and attentive, always making sure we had fresh hot coals for our hookah. we went twice, and the first time we spent the whole night laughing, chatting, and making friends with an adorable older couple from belfast.

on our last day in dalyan, we took a little rowboat across the river and walked to the ancient ruins of kaunos. on the way there, we stopped to admire the tombs carved into the cliff, which date back to the 9th century BC and are remarkably preserved. that afternoon we flew back to istanbul where we'd be catching a flight to zagreb, croatia. our time in turkey was up! i'm pretty sure i said "wow" more times in the ten days we spent here than i have my entire life. i'd always wanted to visit turkey but could not have imagined how fascinating and beautiful it turned out to be.

 // eurotrip to date: 10 flights, 4 buses, 5 trains, 1 ferry, 2 road trips, 8 countries 

romania

the great thing about not planning too far in advance is that it leaves room for surprises. in our quest to find the best route to turkey, romania ended up being the perfect segue. we found a cheap redeye from barcelona to bucharest, and from there it was less than a hundred dollars to fly to istanbul. we were sold!

we arrived in bucharest a little after 4am on tuesday and decided to rent a car and explore transylvania. it was hard to believe we were going to a region that had always seemed so mysterious and far away. alex and i tried to get what little rest we could in the airport before the rental place opened. a few sleepless hours later, we were driving along in our tiny white renault twingo towards brasov. neither of us knew what to expect, and we were both blown away by how beautiful the romanian countryside was. it was a difficult three-hour drive though – not because of the traffic or the roads (which were surprisingly nice) but because of how dead tired we were. alex ended up having to pull over so we could take a quick nap before we finished the drive.

most of the hostels and hotels were located in and around the old part of town, but we thought it’d be interesting to stay a little further out and rent through airbnb. the directions to the apartment were easy to follow, but actually finding the place proved to be a bit challenging. the apartment was in a confusing complex of boxy, somewhat drab-looking concrete buildings. most were gray, a few were shades of pink and green, and each was marked by block number and building number. as we were wandering around trying to find the right one, it was clear that the people around us were surprised to see a couple of foreigners in their neighborhood. although it’s been over twenty years since the collapse of the communist regime and romania’s national treasures are definitely worth seeing, not too many people think to visit or stray far from the touristy bits. we eventually found the apartment—a cute, very spacious one-bedroom that ironically had the fastest internet of all the places we’d been to. at $35 a night, it was also the cheapest! the place belonged to a girl named laura, and from the way she wrote her airbnb description and the books on her shelves, she seemed just as american as she was romanian. then there was her father, who didn’t speak a word of english when he let us into the apartment. like the other older locals we’d encountered, his wrinkled forehead and worn expression seemed to wonder, why are you here?  the contrast between “old” and “new” romania was already quite striking.

after settling in, we spent the rest of the day exploring the old town. to go from the sunny shores of southern spain to the landlocked interior of romania was an interesting change of pace. our first taste of local cuisine was absolutely delicious. we ate at ceasu’ rau, a restaurant i’d read about that was just outside the old center and popular among locals. if you ever make it here, make sure you sit out on the terrace so you can watch the grill master cook everything to perfection. our eyes grew wide when our waiter brought out a generous platter of ribs, chicken schnitzel, and polenta with cottage cheese and fresh cream. with our bellies full and happy we rolled into town, which was built against a backdrop of gorgeous green mountains. the colorful buildings and architecture made for a very picturesque view. brasov even has its own hollywood-esque sign! we paid a visit to the black church – the largest gothic church between vienna and istanbul – and were lucky enough to catch an organ concert there, which was hauntingly beautiful.

the next day we began our tour of the transylvanian region. we drove to bran to check out dracula’s castle, which actually has nothing to do with dracula. legend has it that this was the spot where vlad the impaler (bram stoker’s muse for dracula) was betrayed, but there are differing accounts on whether or not this is accurate. that aside, the castle itself is impressive in all its 14th century glory. after getting stuck in a sheep traffic jam (!!), we drove to sighisoara, another beautiful town which is where vlad the impaler was born. on our way back – and throughout our road trip – we encountered many ridiculously aggressive drivers. this was especially unnerving since it was dark out, which didn’t seem to stop these daring romanians from risking their lives passing 2-3 cars at a time before barely avoiding a slew of oncoming traffic.

sheep traffic jams are way more fun than regular ones. 

thankfully we lived to see another day, which we spent exploring sibiu. at first the city seemed to be completely dead, but as we continued to walk further into the town center, we heard singing and stumbled upon large throngs of people waiting to get into some sort of outdoor show. it turned out that sibiu was hosting the media music awards, which meant we got to hear a bunch of romanian pop, rap, and rock stars perform live! the city also happened to be hosting drivers competing in the rally touristique des alpes – a race which basically involves super wealthy car enthusiasts driving their super amazing classic jaguars and mercedes across the mountains. alex was drooling over a silver 1950s gullwing mercedes easily worth at least $500,000. our night in sibiu ended with alex enjoying the best goulash he’d ever had, and me scoring a pair of sparkly high-top sneakers. the best part was that our meals and purchases all cost what you’d expect to pay back home, except in romanian lei so you get to divide the price by three. definitely my kind of math.

the next day was our last in romania, and it turned out to be the most memorable. after seeing pictures of the ridiculously squiggly transfagarasan highway, we decided we couldn’t leave the country without driving it. the road was built in the early 1970s so the military could have quick access across the carpathian mountains if the soviets ever tried to invade the country. the road is 90km of hairpin twists and turns through the two tallest peaks in romania, so it isn’t hard to believe that forty people died building it. this only built up my excitement and alex’s trepidation for the drive. 

we encountered another traffic jam - this time cows - as we drove towards the mountains. 

within minutes of turning onto the road, we saw the word “hell” painted on the pavement with an arrow pointing in the direction we were headed. awesome. four unforgettable hours later, we were so grateful we kept going. the transfagarasan highway was the most awe-inspiring, breathtaking, and dangerous drive we’d ever done. we climbed to an altitude of 2,034 meters, creeped along the edge of sheer drops with no guardrails overlooking stunning views of the valley, drove through thick fog with hardly any visibility, and came out the other end of a long, snowy tunnel realizing we’d just gone through the tip of a gigantic mountain. 

never a good thing when you can't see what's in front of you on a snow-capped peak...

once we got further down the other side, we ended up getting stuck behind a logging truck and an audi r8. there were also two classic jaguars and a minivan behind us, which made for a very funny rag-tag parade of cars on this tiny, two-lane road. we had become part of the rally touristique des alpes by happy accident! after our heart-stopping drive through the mountains, we made it to the main highway and drove back to bucharest to catch our flight to istanbul. it was a whirlwind tour of an incredibly beautiful region, and we will never forget our adventures in romania.

 // eurotrip to date: 7 flights, 3 buses, 5 trains, 1 ferry, 1 road trip, 7 countries

spain

after an hour-long ferry ride from tangier, we arrived in tarifa, spain on sunday afternoon. only 20 miles of sea separate the two beach cities, yet culturally they are practically polar opposites of each other. after a long wait at passport control, we set down our bags and took in the scene. here, bleached hair and skimpy surfwear replaced head scarves and long pants. when it was time to find our bus, we headed to the tourist information booth, only to find it closed. apparently, it was only open from 10:30am to 1pm every day. yep...we were definitely in spain!

we eventually found the bus station and took a beautiful, winding route through the mountainous coastline to la linea de la concepcion. by the time we checked into our hotel and were ready for a bite to eat, the sun was already setting. the weather was perfect. with the marina and the rock of gibraltar as the backdrop, we were treated to a stunning view! we decided to cross into british territory for the evening and have dinner in gibraltar, where we stumbled upon an action-packed rehearsal for gibraltar national day festivities. the singing and dancing numbers, all in celebration of the territory’s right to self-determination, made for an interesting show of cultural pride on what would have otherwise been a relatively quiet night.

the next morning we took a bus up the eastern coast to the small beach town of torremolinos. we were both looking forward to the laidback culture of spain after being immersed in the lively yet chaotic hustle and bustle of the moroccan medinas. we checked into a lovely resort – a birthday gift from alex – and found ourselves not just next to the sea, but in a sea of older vacationing europeans. for the first time, our pretired selves came face to face with our retired counterparts! it was refreshing to read, nap, and while away the hours listening to the waves. the beach also offered some pretty entertaining people-watching, since most europeans didn't seem to care what they were wearing…or not wearing.

two days later we flew to barcelona a few shades darker. for the next five days, we lived in the most perfect place we could’ve asked for – an amazing penthouse we found through airbnb. it was unlike any apartment you’d find back in the states, mainly because it probably wouldn’t pass the stringent building regulations there. this penthouse was unusual in that it wasn’t on the top floor. it was literally a small house perched on the rooftop of a nine-story apartment complex that overlooked the entire city – from the sea to the mountains, and everything in between. we could watch the sagrada familia being built, right from our window! alex and i were geeking out over how lucky we were. after having spent the last week in a state of constant travel and culture shock, we were excited to spend a good chunk of time in a place that was more familiar. we also didn’t have to worry much about there being a language barrier since alex’s español is pretty good. 

barcelona is one of those cities that’s fun to get lost in. it’s always nice to do your exploring on foot because you get to see the neighborhoods change. our apartment was situated near the neighborhood of vile de gracia, which quickly became one of our favorites. it felt kind of like the east village of barcelona, with its good selection of restaurants, little shops, and fun bars. we found the best patatas bravas there, which is basically a heart attack in a bowl (fried potatoes covered with thick, homemade, spicy mayonnaise). we also loved the architecture of the city. unlike the medinas of marrakech and fes – where the colorful tiles and detailed patterns are only visible from the inside – many of barcelona’s balconies, bay windows, and doors are beautifully ornate and so romantic. and of course, there is gaudi’s distinct style. i loved how whimsical his designs were, and how he incorporated a lot of nature’s patterns and textures into his work. we were blown away by la sagrada familia, la pedrera, and casa batllo. parc guell was also really pretty. barcelona has beautiful, well-manicured parks – including parc de la ciutadella, which is close to the beach. we camped out there after feasting on sandwiches and cava at can paixano, a ridiculously crowded spot that’s popular with both locals and foreigners. those were the best sandwiches of our lives! i had a great time alternating between sips of cava and bites of melted camembert, jamon, and perfectly toasted bread. we went there twice, it was so good. my friend scott gives top-notch recommendations. he also said we had to try quimet y quimet - a tiny, standing-room-only place that's popular among locals. our tastebuds were treated to another memorable meal, this time in the form of seafood tapas. the foodie in me was very, very pleased with what barcelona had to offer.

when it came time to pack our bags and leave, it was hard to say goodbye. not only did we get the chance to relax and take in everything we’d experienced up until that point, we did so in one of our most beloved cities. but we were also excited to move on to places in europe that we weren’t so familiar with. our next adventure was awaiting us in romania!

// eurotrip to date: 6 flights, 3 buses, 5 trains, 1 ferry, 6 countries

across the pond

we took the red eye from phoenix and landed at JFK a little after 5am, just in time to watch the sunrise. we were finally home! it felt good to sit on our own couch, shuffle around on our own floor, and pass out in our own bed. we gave ourselves just over a week between our road trip and eurotrip to relax, plan, and re-energize. it also meant i was home for my birthday! alex took me out to a nice lunch at gotham, and i threw a last-minute happy hour to celebrate with friends, beer pong, and the most ginormous platter of nachos i’ve ever seen. i can only imagine what kinds of adventures and new experiences 28 will bring.

for the european chapter of our pretirement – and probably the next few after that, too – alex and i are foregoing the rolly-bag route and only taking backpacks. being that i usually overpack and try to plan for every possible situation, it was a tall order. but thanks to the magic of ebags (google them – they’re life-changing), we were able to do it quite neatly. i was very impressed with us! as we headed to the airport, i looked forward to experiencing what it’d be like having the next two months of our lives strapped to our backs. we were so excited that the overseas portion of our pretirement was finally starting. we were off to europe!

after a short layover in manchester we made it to dublin on saturday afternoon, where we’d be spending the night before heading to london to stay with family. we checked into our hostel, then got a bite to eat and quick nap in before we headed back out. we wandered over to a well-manicured park called st. stephen’s green and enjoyed a cigarillo. by the time we’d finished it was getting dark, so we did what every other dubliner was doing – we threw back a few pints. when in rome, right? for the next few hours we hopped from pub to pub in and around the temple bar area. a saturday night in dublin feels like new year’s eve. everyone was going nuts, and it wasn’t even 10pm yet! nothing like a good game of people-watching, fresh guinness in hand. we managed to make it until midnight, hoping to jumpstart our body clocks and get them adjusted.

the next morning we flew to london. after maneuvering our way to the city via the airport bus, the tube, and a bit of walking, we ended up at my cousin's flat in queen’s park. we arrived just in time for the notting hill carnival, which is the biggest celebration of its kind in the UK. that monday was a holiday for everyone too, so we checked out the carnival with joi, paul, and their adorable 3-year-old son kai. we ate tons of caribbean food, checked out the dancers and their elaborate costumes in the parade, and made our way through the crowds of half-drunk people…before it was even 1pm. afterwards, alex and i went for a bike ride near the city center, along the thames river, and over the tower bridge. it was a gorgeous day out, and you could tell all the locals were trying to squeeze as much fun as they could out of their bank holiday.

the next day we accidentally overslept until 11:45am. oops. blame it on the jet lag! the good thing is that we've both already been to london, so we bypassed the touristy stuff and spent our time wandering around town and pretending like we lived there instead. we rode the tube over to east london and did some exploring around victoria park, hackney, and shoreditch – kind of like london’s version of williamsburg – before venturing towards notting hill and walking back to the flat. on the morning of our last full day, joi, paul, and kai left for lake como to attend a wedding. it was tough saying goodbye to kai…we had gotten to the point where he gave me cuddles and didn’t wipe away my kisses! hopefully the next time we see him won’t be when he’s too old fo r that stuff. we spent the rest of the day catching up with our friends and old coworkers in the city, including otaso, anni, and daniel. it’s always nice to see familiar faces in foreign places. then it was back to the flat to pack, do laundry (european washing machines don’t make it easy), and get a little trip-planning done. the next morning, we were amsterdam-bound!

// eurotrip to date: 3 flights, 2 countries